Astros look to achieve rare 2026 feat against Rangers

Having dropped three consecutive series and five of their previous six, the Houston Astros acknowledged the accomplishment of claiming a three-game set against the visiting Texas Rangers with their 4-1 victory on Saturday.

The Astros will seek their second sweep of the season on Sunday. A win in the finale of the Silver Boot Series would represent a step in the right direction for a club attempting to claw back into contention.

"It builds momentum, it builds confidence," Astros manager Joe Espada said. "We just won a series; we haven't won one in a while.

"But let's not get complacent, winning two games in a series. Let's go show up (Sunday) and sweep these guys. That's how you build a good winning streak and get back in the race."

Part of building that momentum could come in the form of reinforcements arriving in short order. Shortstop Jeremy Pena (hamstring) and center fielder Jake Meyers (oblique) played for Double-A Corpus Christi on Saturday and are nearing completion of their rehab assignments.

Right-hander Nate Pearson (elbow) is slated to pitch for Triple-A Sugar Land on Sunday, and barring any setbacks, all three could be reinstated from the injured list and join the Astros in Minnesota next week.

"There is a chance that you will see those guys at some point, hopefully in that series (against the Twins) if everything goes well in the next two days," Espada said.

However, the Astros have a new injury concern. Veteran second baseman Jose Altuve left the game Saturday after his at-bat in the eighth inning with what was described as soreness on the left side. He is set for an MRI.

Right-hander Peter Lambert (2-3, 2.76 ERA) is scheduled to start for the Astros on Sunday.

Lambert was the pitcher of record in a 3-1 loss to the Seattle Mariners on Monday despite posting his second consecutive quality start, allowing three runs on six hits and one walk with six strikeouts across seven innings. It marked the second straight start that Lambert logged seven innings, matching his previous career high.

Lambert has faced the Rangers once previously as a member of the Colorado Rockies. He allowed two runs on three hits with two strikeouts in 2 2/3 innings of relief on May 19, 2023. He did not factor into the decision of a 7-2 loss.

Right-hander Nathan Eovaldi (4-4, 4.15) has the starting assignment in the finale for the Rangers.

Eovaldi was scratched from his previous outing on Monday against the Arizona Diamondbacks with left side tightness, however he threw a bullpen session on Wednesday. Before missing his turn in the rotation, Eovaldi recorded back-to-back wins over the New York Yankees, allowing one run on seven hits and one walk with 15 strikeouts across 15 combined innings.

Eovaldi, a Houston native, is 4-5 with a 3.74 ERA in 14 career starts against the Astros. He faced the Astros twice last season, going 1-0 with a 0.68 ERA and 13 strikeouts in 13 1/3 innings.

Rangers shortstop Corey Seager was unavailable Saturday after suffering from back spasms that morning. Seager was a healthy scratch in the series opener on Friday, and the club will monitor his progress in the coming days before determining his availability in the near term.

"I don't know. We'll see what happens," Rangers manager Skip Schumaker said. "I've had them before. One day it's great, and a couple of days later you still have them. I think they're finicky.

"I don't have a ton of concern. You never want to hear anything with your superstar player about anything, but I'm fairly confident that he will be back soon."

--Field Level Media